If you’re a graduate job seeker and you’re preparing for an interview, you know that you need to be prepared for all sorts of different questions. One of the popular job interview questions is: “What is your greatest weakness and what steps have you taken to overcome it?” This can be a difficult and tricky question to answer and it’s important that you put some thought into the answer in advance.
How not to approach this question
“WELL TO BEGIN WITH I DON’T HAVE ANY WEAKNESSES”
Ideally, the interviewer wants to make sure you don’t have any weaknesses pertaining to the role you’ve applied for but at the same time, the interviewer also wants to make sure that you can acknowledge your weaknesses and if you’ve been able to overcome them. Weakness in interviews should be portrayed as a strength and increase your confidence level.
You want to hit a comfortable balance that doesn’t show you over-achieving or under-achieving.
Let’s look at certain points that’ll help you prepare for such job interview questions:
- Despite having had a problem in the past, you’ve figured out how to fix it.
Example “I used to get stressed out, but I found ways to lessen that. My university course on time management has helped me manage my time and reduce my stress level”.
- Interview Strength and Weakness – Disguise your weakness as strengths
How to describe weakness in an interview is one of the most common questions that require a subtle answer the interviewer expects. The most effective response would be to describe a weakness as a strength. However, try to stay away from the old favourite answer: “I have no weakness.” which makes the statement is so cliche that the interviewer may wonder if it is true or not. Choose a statement that embodies perfectionism, such as
“When I am really passionate about the work I do, I become frustrated when others don’t share my enthusiasm.”.
- Strengths which may become Weaknesses
The majority of strengths – such as attention to detail, teamwork, etc. – are prone to becoming WEAKNESS in the near future. Strengths and weaknesses in interviews are the major things that will be known by the interviewers at some point in time. Another common question that is very common in interviews is “What motivates you”. Check out for impressing the interview with your motivational answer. Try to answer these questions first:
- Is it difficult for you to deal with conflict if you are a natural team worker? How about assuming leadership responsibilities?
- You might be good at details, but do you sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture?
A different perspective on this question is to consider how you can overcome any potential downsides that come with your biggest strength.
Watch how Vidhushi answers this question here.
We hope you enjoyed our article around the common interview question: what are your weaknesses? With this knowledge, we know that you can be ready for the common interview question and impress your interviewer with your answers!
Behavioural questions are something that is also common to know your level of patience and understanding. Know more behavioural interview questions and answers in detail.
So what are you waiting for? Make sure you visit seekho.ai to get more such answers.
